Kitten Tails
by BubblineVauseman
Summary: Carmilla is turned into a small kitten that happens to get adopted by the loveable ball of sunshine. When the Dean decides to finally let Carmilla turn back into her regular form, how will Carmilla get Laura to fall for her without revealing how she knows everything about her? And also, what was the reason the Dean turned Carmilla back? Follow me on Tumblr: WritingCreampuff
1. Grabby Hands

Carmilla's mother looked at her with disappointment in her eyes.

"I can't believe you would do that to your own brother!" Carmilla flinched as her mother's hand raised. Her eyes somewhat softened as she saw the younger vampire flinch and quiver. "You're my glittering girl... but you need some type of punishment for this dear. Nothing too harsh, but enough to make you struggle so you can see how lucky you are to be in such a loving family." She rested her hand on top of Carmilla's head, causing Carmilla to stop quivering and freeze in fear. Flashbacks of all those years sealed in a coffin full of blood made her eyes sting with tears she couldn't shed. "I know what you're thinking darling and it's nothing that horrible. Stand and turn into your panther form." She removed her hand from Carmilla's head and stepped sideways, Carmilla standing and closing her eyes, feeling her body and muscles stretch and go down on all fours. She opened her eyes and looked up at her mother, before she felt her cold finger tap her forehead and everything shrunk even more. She tried to roar in protest but the hair on her tail puffed up in shock as she heard a meow come from her mouth. She tried her hardest to revert back to her human body, her mother just smiling. "You're now a small black kitten. And you shall stay like this until I feel you have learned your lesson. As for feeding, don't worry I've made it so you can sustain yourself with animal food and human food. And I made sure your animal body can 'grow' as they say." She picked up her phone dialing a number. "Yes, animal control, I seem to have a stray kitten in my house. Yes of course." She walked out of the room, leaving Carmilla alone in the room, panicking, running around in a frenzy, hyperventilating. She managed to catch eye of a reflective surface and rushed to it. In her reflection she saw a small black kitten with honey, golden eyes. She stared at that reflection for what seemed like hours, occasionally lifting her paw to make sure it had remained as a paw. Suddenly the door was yanked open and chaos ensued. Two men wearing coveralls, carrying a net and a leash began to rush at Carmilla. She tried to run. completely skidding against the wooden floor before finally getting some grip and lurching forward. She ran around her mother's desk before noticing they had cornered her against the desk. The net swept her up in seconds, her mother smiling coyly from the door as she handed the other man the cash. Carmilla was carried outside, towards the crappy truck that belonged to the shelter they were going to take her to. She recognized the name on the side immediately. 'Silas Shelter' were in ugly block letters on the side. Of course her mother had picked this one specifically, it was one of those shelters no one went to, no one bothered because all the animals were either old or sick. They refused to kill animals there which told her her mother cared at least the slightest bit. They opened the back door where there was several cages, all which already had an animal inside, all of them dogs.

"Where do I put the cat?" The one holding the net asked to the other one who was making his way through the drivers side.

"Throw it in with the aggressive one. Maybe that way we can get rid of it will be less animals." Said man number two, pulling the keys out of his pocket. The one holding the net conceded and threw Carmilla into the cage with a strange looking mutt. She sent a glare over his way before curling up in a corner of the cage, staying away from him. The dog exhaled sharply before turning his attention away from Carmilla. The truck started and began to move forward. She figured she might as well relax until they got there. After about 20 minutes of being slightly tossed and turned, suddenly there was screeching of the tires, she was tossed towards the opposite side of the cage where the dog was laying. They collided, Carmilla's head on his muzzle as the dog reacted whipping his neck around to chomp down on whatever he could, catching her hind paw as Carmilla flipped in the air. A deafening screech escaped Carmilla as she unsheathed her claws and sunk them into the dogs side, seeing the bloodstain his fur as he let go. She hissed at him, pulling away, limping slightly, her back left leg hurting more than any pain she'd felt in a while. The back door opened, letting the sunlight poor into the cages, the two men, picking them up and hauling them inside while muttering. "Stupid animals." The onfloor vet that greated the animals rushed over upon seeing Carmilla and the mutt both bleeding heavily. It was then I noticed my breathing had become labored. The last I heard she was screaming at the men for having the idea to put us both in the same cage. Then everything shifted to black.

It was warm, and I felt my left leg stiff, I groaned, my eyes snapping open when I realized it was a tiny whine instead. The first thing I saw was that I was in a cage again, by myself but in a cage. I tried lifting my hand to rub my face but was greeted by a furry black paw. Then it all came back to me, I tried to stretch, my leg still wrapped as I tried to kick it off, the vet coming quickly to stop me.

"No you don't kitten. You need to get better if you're ever going to get adopted. We have you all checked out and you're ready to go on the floor, we were just waiting for you to wake up." She cooed at Carmilla. Carmilla just staring up at her as she wondered if she did this with all the animals. She didn't even notice when they had arrived at the rows of cages. There was many dogs barking, and cats meowing as they reached an empty one, where the vet set her down and closed the cage. Carmilla's stomach growled as she looked over at the bowl that sat there with some tuna. She wrinkled her nose in disgust but walked over anyway, sniffing it before eating a small piece. After realizing that the taste wasn't so bad on her tongue she continued to eat slowly. She watched as the other animals calmed down a few minutes after the nurse left. She finished eating and drank some water, going to the darkest corner of her cage and curling up. She knew it was going to be a while before her mother deemed her worthy of giving her her form back so she might as well get used to it here.

Several days had come and gone. It was the same routine, wake up, eat, curl up in the corner and watch people come and go, completely ignoring her cage since she blended so well it looked empty. Her bandages had slowly become less and less until now it was just precaution so she wouldn't lick at the wounds. Today was like any other of those days, where she finished eating and curled up into her corner. She had just gotten her eyes closed when the ring of the bell of the from door made her ear twitch. Followed by the annoying crying of a small girl. Carmilla rolled her eyes.

'Another one of these kids wanting a puppy I see.' She thought to herself as she relaxed again. She could hear the voice of the person with the young girl.

"Laura, honey, this is the last shelter. You haven't liked any of the puppies in any of the other shelters. Please choose one of the ones here okay?" Carmilla assumed the girl nodded through her crying, because the man who was presumably her father replied. "Good, now come on, stop crying, lets go get you a puppy." There was a hint of sadness in his tone but Carmilla ignored it, going back to trying to doze off. They walked to the back, where the animals were held. The dogs went crazy and began to bark and wag their tails. The little girl perked up immediately. When she heard running she opened her eyes to look where she had run off to, to see who was going to leave this place next. The girl was kneeling in front of the cage almost directly in front of Carmilla. The girl looked to be no older than 7 years old. The small puppy in the cage, a blue nosed pitbull, barking widely and happily. Carmilla scoffed to herself, of course he was next. She let her eyes fall closed again. When she heard the small girl cry out.

"This one!" There was a small amount of silence followed by her father's voice.

"Honey there's nothing there." The man sounded confused.

"It's right there! And it's hurt like me!" At this Carmilla's eyes opened lazily, before looking shocked as the little girls finger pointed right at her. She noticed the small girl had her right hand covered in gauze, a big band-aid on her right cheek, and you could see some thick wrapping gauze on her left leg under her pants. The vet from the front walked over. She looked at her list before reading the records slowly.

"This is a female kitten, black fur so hard to know what breed. She's only a few months old, her leg was hurt by a dog but it's all healed up the wrapping is just until it seals up completely. We haven't thought of a name for her." The nurse smiled cheekily as she saw 'Laura's' eyes sparkle.

"Honey, I thought you wanted a puppy." Laura shook her head and kept pointing at Carmilla.

"Want to go in and see if she likes you?" Laura nodded eagerly.

'Uh oh.' Carmilla thought to herself before being scooped up by the little girl. She was ready to scratch her way out of her grasp when she noticed that her hold was gentle. Carmilla decided to just stay still, swaying her tail back and forth, the nurse looking somewhat shocked. Yes people had asked about Carmilla once or twice but their dreams were quickly shattered as Carmilla scratched at the first sight of toddlers hands going in to pet her. Laura just held her, beaming at her father. Carmilla just lay there lazily, waiting to be put down. She didn't react until she heard the click of a pen as Laura's father handed the clipboard and the signed paperwork over to the vet, shaking her hand. Laura squealed, causing Carmilla's ear to twitch. Then, before she could protest, she was being carried out by the small girl, then was placed in a cardboard carrying box with holes. Laura held it excitedly.

"Daddy can we go to the pet shop to buy stuff for her?" She climbed into the passenger seat, Carmilla on her lap inside the crate.

"Of course honey. Have you decided what you're going to name her?" Her father started the engine and began driving towards where Carmilla assumed the petstore was.

"Hmmm. I'm going to name her Cupcake!" Laura said after a few minutes of thought. Her father just chuckled as they pulled into the store. "Daddy can we take Cupcake inside?"

"Yes we can sweetie but since she doesn't have a harness yet, we're going to have to take her in the box. But let me tell you what. We'll make her her collar and get a harness and pay for it so you can put it on her then keep shopping so she won't be stuck in that box the whole time. How's that sound?" Laura grinned widely, showing she was missing a tooth. They both got out of the car, Laura still holding the box close. As soon as they entered the store, they stopped at a terminal right by the door, where there was a screen prompting to select a tag shape, which Laura chose to be a heart, then prompted for a name which Laura convinced her father to let her type it in, her tongue sticking out to touch her top lip as she concentrated. Her father then did a quick task of putting their information on the reverse of the tag. Once that was done, the machine whirred to life for about 2 minutes until it gave them the tag and Laura scooped it up, holding it proudly in her hands, leaving Carmilla to be picked up by Laura's father, chasing after the small girl who ran towards the section labeled 'Collars, Leashes, Harnesses.' Carmilla peeked through one of the holes to see the girl with the same concentrated look on her face, holding two collars, one a bright pink, the other a light blue. "Which one do you like better sweetheart?" Her father put the box down as Carmilla grimaced at the pink. Normally she didn't mind the color but that hue of pink was too much for her.

"I don't know daddy." Laura sat there was her brow furrowed even more, if possible, making a small crease between her eyebrows that was clearly going to get more pronounced if she kept making that face every time she had to make a decision. She suddenly looked up at the box where Carmilla was held. "Can we open the box to see which one cupcake likes?" Carmilla perked up at this, if they opened the box, she might have a chance to run. Laura's father nodded before opening the box slowly, Carmilla springing out and running the opposite direction of the family, Laura's father running quickly after her. She took a sharp turn and hid in the next aisle and decided to stay there and wait until they left. After what seemed like forever, she saw Laura's father walking back, shoulders sagged in defeat.

"I'm sorry sweetie." He murmured lowly. Carmilla could hear the quiet crying of the small girl, she sighed to herself and looked around to sprint for the door when she heard the small girl speak through her crying.

"Why does no one like me daddy?" She heard the voice shake as the girl sobbed. "All the kids in school hurt me. All the teachers hate me. Mommy left because of me. And now even Cupcake doesn't want me." The last vowel was extended as the girl fell into another sob.

"They don't understand you honey, they don't see how amazing you are. Even though it wasn't okay that they put you in the hospital, they just don't understand you. I can have a talk with the teachers if you want. Your mom... your mom didn't love me enough to stay, and I didn't want to lose you, so you stayed with me. And Cupcake has probably never had a family before. She was just a kitten and she was scared. But you know what darling? I love you." Carmilla heard him give a grunt as the young girl threw her arms around her father. Carmilla pondered her situation for a second. Live as an alley cat with threat to a shelter or be at someone's home and make a small child happy. She may have been nearly 300 years old but she wasn't heartless just yet. She sighed and started making her way back over to the small girl who was still crying in her father's chest when something caught her eye. A bright yellow collar sat there inoffensively, causing Carmilla to roll her eyes.

'Damn fate.' She thought to herself as she lifted it in her mouth, padding over to the small child, who looked up from her father's chest, seeming to have heard the small feet.

"Cupcake!" She jumped off her father and ran forward. Carmilla flinched letting the collar fall from her mouth, closing her eyes, getting ready to get the petting of her life, but it didn't come. When she opened her eyes, what she saw was the small girl sitting across from her, eyes slightly red from crying as she lifted the collar. She slowly reached out a hand but left a small distance as if telling Carmilla to come forward when she was comfortable. It surprised Carmilla, but she still took a minute to appear natural before sniffing the small girls hand. After that the small girl picked her up gently, holding Carmilla to her chest. Carmilla felt the small girl still somewhat shaky and nervous so she just let her head rest against the small girl, relaxing in her grasp. Laura's father gave a sigh of relief, getting the yellow collar from the young girl, picking out a harness and leash of the same color, heading to the register to pay, coming back, handing it to her, the small heart hanging from the collar. Laura sat down, setting Carmilla down, looking at the kitten warily, relaxing when she saw Carmilla sit there patiently. She undid the clip with her tiny hands and placed the collar along the kitten's neck, clipping it on. The first instinct of Carmilla was to try and take it off, which she did, being annoyed that the only thing she would hear as she would try would be the jingling of a small bell that was attached to the nametag. The quiet giggling she heard next where what made her stop struggling. The giggle turning into a laugh, she looked up at the small girl sitting across from her, also noticing her father's reaction. He looked genuinely surprised to hear her laughter, which then turned into tears in his eyes. Carmilla was confused but shrugged internally and sat there, hitting her tail on the floor, waiting for the young girl to stop her laughing. When Laura did, she looked like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulder, like her leg and hand didn't hurt anymore, she held her stomach, keeping her toothy grin in came the harness, one strap around her shoulders, the other strap around her torso area. It made walking awkward, causing Carmilla to fall over several times until Laura eventually picked her up and nestled her up on her chest again. Carmilla just swayed her tail, occasionally hitting it against the small girl as her father was putting stuff in a cart. By the time they were leaving, the blue shopping cart was filled with food, a bed, two bowl, cat toys, a travel case, a litter box, litter, a comb, shampoo, flea medicine, and outfits which Laura INSISTED were necessary. But there was no way in hell that she was going to put on any of them. They paid and started heading home to Laura's house. Out of the confinement of the box and on the warm human's lap, she began to doze off, only aware of her body involuntarily rumbling as she felt a small hand stroking her, but was unable to stop it before she fell asleep completely.


	2. Home

~Carmilla's P.O.V.~

I felt myself being thrown slightly forward, but before I could try to sink my claws into the ground, which was my first thought, a pair of warm hands clutched onto me, keeping me against the small space heater that was next to me. I let my eyes open, noticing the car had stilled. Laura pried the door open, jumping down onto the grass before setting me down carefully. I tried to walk once more with the harness on me, stumbling a bit before getting the hang of it. Laura guided me inside, letting the loop of the harness get on the doorknob to hold me in place. I plopped down by the door, watching Laura's dad struggle with the heavy stuff as Laura carried the little bowls and the outfits. Laura scurried inside, her dad following slowly, carrying everything else. I noticed the door wasn't open enough for him to get through so I pressed my head to the heavy wood and proceeded to push, trying to make it open wider. I heard Laura's giggle as she saw me and helped me push it open. Her dad walked in, smiling behind everything.

"Thank you sweetie, thank you Cupcake." He grinned at us both, lumbering into the kitchen. I let myself lazily lay down on the floor, when I felt a gentle tug on my harness. I turned my head, looking over slowly to see Laura holding it. I hoisted myself up and walked towards her, looking around, inspecting the house. I noticed there was only pictures of her and her father. She was apparently an only child. The decor lacked feminine touch which said it had been years since she had left them. I looked over to the small girl, noticing that at first glance you'd never her pain. Her blond hair was shining in the sun that came in through the sliding doors in her kitchen. Her whole being seemed to glow along with it, she was a small beam of sunshine that had somehow managed to stay earthbound and decided to reside inside the small girl. I was transfixed by the brightness and made my way forward, to try and get a glimpse of her face in the sunlight but she seemed to sense my shift and turned to me, only half her face still illuminated. I stopped in my tracks and she stopped with me. Her face remained in the same position, still smiling brightly, the one iris that the sun was hitting seemed to light on fire with intensity. I shook my head clear before beginning to walk again, huffing slightly to myself. I knew that I was going to have to be constantly reminding myself that this was only temporary.

'Only until she doesn't need me.' I said to myself. Laura just continued walking forward when I kept walking, waiting for me patiently, probably thinking I was becoming familiar with their home. My ear twitch as her dad set down the bowls and pried open one of the cans of tuna. Thank the gods, I was starving! In a very catlike style I sprinted forward, noticing the small girl running after me by the soft noises her sandals were making against the wooden floor. When we arrived, I decided to mewl excitedly, opting out for acting like a regular cat for now. He handed the small can of tuna to Laura and grabbed the other bowl heading towards the sink to fill it with water. Laura leaned over and dumped the can in the bowl with a small fish skeleton printed at the bottom with FOOD printed in bold letters on the side. I immediately dug in, chomping down at the food like there was no tomorrow. I didn't even notice when they pulled the harness off of me. What I DID notice was when the small girl sat next to me and watched me as I ate, then I felt a featherlight gentle stroke on my spine. When I stopped eating, I felt the small touch freeze and I could hear her shaky breath, she was scared, but I just let myself get back into eating, feeling the small stroke starting again a few seconds after that.

"Laura, why don't you let Cupcake eat and look around while we set up her things?" The little girl looked up and nodded eagerly before running off. I let myself relax some more, drinking some water, then licked my lips clean as I started padding around to explore. When you came into their home, there was a staircase up, to the left of the house was the living room where 2 couches and a lazyboy were along with a tv and assorted consoles and games, to the right was apparently on office but the furniture looked dusty and unused, papers littering it and the floor, beside the staircase there was a short hallway that led to the kitchen that took up most of the back of the house, having the dining table in the same room. The kitchen took up the right side of the huge room and the dining room took up the left, a sliding door that led to the backyard behind the table. The yard was fenced and green with a large mesquite tree which contained a large organic looking treehouse. I walked down the short hall back towards the front door, and started hopping up the stairs, stopping around half way to gasp for air. I don't remember stairs being so hard to master. Then I decided to test the theory that cat people would do anything for their pets. Since they were nowhere in sight on the first floor, they had to be in the second one, there was 3 doors, 2 white, and one with a pinkish tint. I sucked in a deep breath and started mewling like a madman. I heard steps immediately, the pink door opening rapidly, the small ray of sunshine appearing behind it.

"Coming Cupcake!" She exclaimed as she kept her sprint as she came down the stairs, being careful so she wouldn't trip. When she reached me, her hands, still gentle, scooped me up as she began to climb up the stairs again When she went into her room, she set me down by the door. I looked around to find that it was a simple room, a toddler sized bed to the back the foot of the bed by the only window of the room, a lamp close to the head of the bed that wasn't against the wall. A brown dresser sat on the same wall as the lamp. A few posters were on her walls. They were of videogames I had seen downstairs. On the other wall to the right she had a bookshelf full of books and movies, a small tv mounted on the wall on the right across from the head of the bed, the walls were a soft blue color, the sheets being plaid, alternating between sky blue and navy blue. There was quite a gap from the foot of the bed and the right wall, so big that her father was kneeling down and still had to lean over to get some stuff that was just out of his reach. There I saw a comfy looking cushion was set up in the corner, plastic littered around as her dad finished setting up a scratching post.

I smirked softly at the effort, prancing over and stuffing my face into the plastic bag. Once my head was in it, a certain panic set in as I started I began to hyperventilate and back up in an effort to get it off my head. The bag began to fog up with my breath and I lost my sense of sight, the panic just becoming more as I felt myself smack against the door. At the thump, I saw the outline of Laura's head turn towards me then get bigger as she walked towards me, plucking it off my head, the rush of cold air coming as a relief to me. I left my body plop down in a sitting position as I panted. I expected her to try to grab me and I didn't know how I would react to that at this moment but she didn't. She remained motionless, watching me with worried brown eyes, giving me space. "You okay Cupcake?" She stayed kneeling there until my breathing slowed and I let myself rub against her legs. Her concern turned into happiness as she stood, and began walking back to help her dad. I followed slowly, jumping on the bed and relaxing, letting myself lay there as I watched them.

The way he talked to her was clear they he was going to baby her forever, not because he was necessarily talking to her in a voice you'd use for a child, but because I could feel the warmth and love radiating off his deep voice. Her eyes were always wide as she listened intensely to what her father said to her, absorbing every word into that curious brain of hers. It was somewhat endearing to see a single father pull through with his daughter and to see his daughter worshipped him as much as he loved her. I found myself purring, swatting my tail against the mattress as I did, blinking slowly. I was started to doze of when I saw her father stand up, picking up the plastic bags scattered around the floor, everything was apparently set up for that small space as he picked up the litter box along with the litter and walked over to the restroom that was connected to Laura. Laura was about to follow him but she opted for laying on her bed on her stomach and watching my tail smack against it. After a couple of minutes her father stepped out of the restroom and announced he was done as he headed out the door, leaving me and Laura alone. At first Laura looked a bit wary as if she knew her father was still in earshot, which was pretty obvious because you could see the shadow of his boots on the small gap under the door. When the shadow disappeared, I saw the small shiver of her frame as her body relaxed and she finally let her shoulders sag. Then I heard her small voice speaking only to me for the first time, not the voice she used infront of her dad, her REAL voice, a voice that was soft, scared, broken, but determined all balled up into one.

"Hey Cupcake, I just wanted to say thank you for coming back at the store. I know I have a lot of problems and that I know you probably don't like me, nobody does, but I'll try my best." I saw the girl's eyes fill with unshed tears. This girl was too mature to be only 8 years old, she seemed like she was ready to hit her teenage phase but this small child was in fact only 8 years old. I couldn't let her cry, a child shouldn't be crying at that age, they should be happy and full of energy. If I was in my regular form I'd give her candy and protect her. But I wasn't, so I did the next best thing. I pressed my side into the small girl's face, my inky black fur wiping the tears that spilled in the process as she smiled and kept her face buried into me. After about 15 minutes I felt her breathing even as she fell asleep. I got up and saw the uncomfortable position she was in. I thought for a second before jumping off the bed and going into the hallway, seeing another door to my right slightly ajar. I padded over to hear the noises of a tv, I peeked inside to see Laura's father lying on the bed on his back, one hand on his stomach the other on the bed holding the remote, the big tv flashing commercials at him. He must've heard me coming because of the bell because he looked towards the door and smiled.

"Hey there Cupcake." He pat the bed inviting me to jump up, which I did and sat there, licking my paw and rubbing it on my face. "How're you liking your new home?" Jesus did everyone think animals could understand human speech? I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "Thanks for coming with us Cupcake, there's some things Laura won't say, even to me, or anyone who could actually talk and say something for that matter. She needs friends, and I have a feeling you're going to be inseparable." He reached over and scratched me as I leaned slightly into her touch and purred for a few seconds before meowing. He dropped his hand and I stood by the door, staring at him expectantly. He lifted his eyebrow. I meowed insistently and he finally got the hint as he stood and walked towards the door. I scurried over to Laura's room, her father pushing the door open. Once he saw Laura he just smiled lovingly and walked over silently to tuck her into bed, kissing her forehead, then looked over at me, smiling his eyes becoming crinkly at the sides, showing his real age. When he walked by I rubbed against his leg and stood there watching him until he let the door shut. I looked back at the sleeping girl and shrugged, heading off to the small cushion. I curled up on the soft red bed and slowly slipped into my slumber.

~1:30 am~

My ear facing up twitched uncontrollably. It was too fucking early for this, if I had to open my eyes, it'd mean I'd be on a mission to murder whatever it was that woke me. I tried to focus on what it was that I was hearing. I heard rustling and whimpering, along with a small hiccuping in the dark room. When I realized who it was coming from I immediately bolted up, looking over at the bed, seeing the outline of the small girl struggling against the sheets. I padded over and squinted as my cat eyes adjusted in the dark, seeing tear streaks down her cheeks as another whimper escaped her lips. I jumped on the bed and mewled softly, her face turning to me but her eyes remained closed, clearly still asleep. I laid next to her head on the pillow and she was instantly drawn to my warmth, her forehead pressed to my side as her breathing slowly calmed again, this time I watched her sleep, seeing her hair ruffle lightly each time she inhaled and each time she exhaled. I guess nightmares were part of the job now, not that I minded. This was infinitely better than being in a damp, noisy, dingy shelter. I began a gentle purr, a small smile tugging at her lips. I let my eyes close again, falling sleep once more.

~7:00 am~

I heard movement but refused to open my eyes. The light I felt against my fur told me that the sun was rising, if the sun was rising it was too early. Midday was as early as I'd wake up. That is until I felt the soft breeze against my whiskers, making me open my eyes in wonder. I was met with a pair of hazel eyes, looking at me intently. I felt warmth spread through my body as she lay there, unmoving, watching me. I felt calm spread across my body as I looked back at her. I let a small, sleepy mewl escape my lips and I saw a huge smile spread across her lips. I felt the rumble coming from her chest as she found her groggy voice to speak, one of her hands coming up to rub her eye softly, her words slurred.

"Mornin' Cupcake." I purred, blinking slowly, when I felt a small wet kiss on my forehead. My eyes snapped open to see her still smiling. I lay there stiffly, breathing deeply before there was a small knock followed by her father's voice.

"Breakfast is ready." She jumped up from the bed.

"PANCAKES!" She ran out the door and tumbled down the stairs. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding before standing up slowly. I padded downstairs, looking around the kitchen where the small girl sat ready at the table as her father put a stack of pancakes in front of her that towered above the small girl's head. There was no way she was going to finish all of that. Before she could think of it any further, a small plate of miniature pancakes.

"You get some too Cupcake." He smiled wide at me, running his thumb over my head before moving back to the stove to prepare more. I began eating slowly, tasting how good it was, then glanced up at Laura. Half the stack was already gone and the small human vaccum didn't show any signs of stopping soon. I felt warmth spread across my chest, a smile tugging at my lips. I guess this was home now.


	3. Spoiled Milk

~1 year later~

7-24-2002

~Carmilla's P.O.V~

Laura was now 9 years old, her bandages had come off about half a year ago and even to this day she happily ran around without the horrible bandage restricting her movement. You could see her dad, who's name I knew was Sherman through some very cryptic phone calls he would make some nights, struggling to keep up with the bundle of energy as she bounded from couch to couch then would start running upstairs. I just sat by the front door, watching them running around, a small smile forming on my lips.

"Laura you just got your band-aids off, you're going to get injured again." He called out after the little girl but it fell to deaf ears. Her energy seemed endless. She even stayed up late nights prancing about her room, picking up books and moving things until they were perfect. Once she was sure it was all in the same place she had left it before, she would climb into bed, sitting against her headboard, grabbing the remote with her left hand and leaving her right arm in a type of c-shape just big enough for me to climb into it and snuggle against her. I noticed she was really into sci-fi but her dad had restricted what shows she could and couldn't watch so she would often just enjoy some re-runs, which she watched as if it was the first time. Today was one of those days where she laid back and left her arm ready for me. I jumped up onto the bed and got ready to snuggle into her when I noticed a deep purple bruise on the inside of her forearm. I hesitated slightly, not wanting to hurt her by putting my weight on it but when she saw and scooped me into her arm anyway I remained as still as possible. She seemed to sense my discomfort because she just whispered under her breath, probably fearing he was outside her bedroom door like he often was when he wanted to know if Laura had gone through a rough day.

"Don't worry Cupcake, it'll go away soon. It doesn't hurt that much." I just pressed my head into her side and purred in response. She was still being bullied at school and I didn't think that was normal. She was a sweet child, to everyone, even to assholes who didn't deserve it. It wasn't fair to her but there was nothing I could do but try to be her comfort whenever she came home crying. Sherman tried his best, tried to come home early some days, but most days required him to stay at work late, especially today since the sun had already set and he still wasn't here, so I would often find myself pressed against her until she would calm down and her sunshine smile came back. After that she was all rainbows and unicorns, which I wasn't really a fan of but when I saw her smile reach her eyes, it was sure as hell worth it. She showed me all her teeth, even the spots where some of them were missing when she smiled so brightly at me. She then turned back to watch T.V. which was just background noise to me. The familiar sound of her Sherman's jeep pulled up into the driveway, a few seconds later followed by the opening of the front door while he called out across the house.

"Laura, sweetie, you alright? Sorry I'm so late, some clients just wouldn't let me end the meeting without going through everything with excruciating detail." The footsteps coming upstairs became louder until they were in the front of her bedroom door. He opened it slowly, as if to check if Laura was asleep, his face relaxing as he saw Laura turn her head towards him and smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay dad, just watching some T.V.." She tugged me closer into her, using my tail to hide the bruise on her arm as her dad walked toward the bed, petting me gently and planting a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead.

"What did you eat for dinner?" Laura just smiled. I held in a deep growl, knowing very well she didn't eat dinner when her dad wasn't home. Her father sighed, rubbing the back of his neck for a second before an idea lit his face. "I have an idea. But you need to get into your pjs if you wanna go. Also I know for a fact that once of the outfits we bought for Cupcake recently was kitten pjs." Laura's face lit up even more if possible. "I'll go put on my pjs too okay? You girls get ready." He walked out the room, closing the door as he left. Laura jumped out of bed, pulling out a monkey onesie, pulling it on and giggling. She then ran over to a smaller, doll wardrobe that she used to keep outfits she would buy for me before pulling out a chicken onesie. When she walked towards me, I backed up as far as I could, my ears flattening against my skull. She grabbed me anyway and before I knew what was going on, I was fighting with the hood of the onesie that was partially blocking my vision. She smiled triumphantly at me clipping the harness on me, tugging us towards her bedroom door. The onesies had attached slippers so it made it weird to walk but I tumbled along, curious as to where we were going dressed so ridiculously. Downstairs her dad was waiting, dressed in a onesie as well. He was using a bear onesie, which strangely seemed to suit him. He stood by the door, holding onto his keys, opening the front door for us and locking it behind him, clicking on the alarm for the jeep so Laura could climb in while I waited patiently before I also climbed up and jumped into her lap. Her father climbed into the drivers seat, setting up his phone on a small stand that was stuck into the windshield, clicking on it before the GPS started speaking directions at him.

"Dad, where are we going?" And so began Laura's need for information. Her dad was smart enough to keep his lips sealed, knowing that any information she actually pried from him would only encourage her more. First came anger. "Why wont you tell me!? TELL ME!" A few minutes later came sadness. "Why won't you tell me daddy? Do you hate me?" Sherman kept his eyes glued to the road, knowing the sight of Laura's tear filled eyes and her pout were enough to break him. She sat there and huffed lightly every few seconds before it shifted once again. Next came bribery. "Daddy can you please tell me? I promise I'll clean the whole house! I'll even wash the jeep!" Sherman did the best he could to suppress the laughter that was bubbling in his chest. Finally came resignation. "Fine, don't tell me. Not like I wanted to know anyway." She crossed her arms, looking out the window, I purred, smiling at the warm, teasing atmosphere that was in the air. After a few minutes the GPS finally spoke again, announcing we were almost at our destination, causing Laura to perk up instantly. There was a dim looking light further ahead. As we moved closer the light became brighter and bigger until you could make out the letters. It read "Violet's Dinner' and under it, in the same purple lettering it read 'Pet Friendly'. When we pulled into the parking lot, it seemed like nothing more than a blue building with tinted windows and the word 'Dinner' printed on the side. But when we walked in, we saw booths lined against the walls and bar seating. The seats were made of beige leather, the tables alternating black and red with white walls, giving it a somewhat classic feel. There was 4 other families dining here tonight, 3 which had dogs, and one with a Parakeet that was currently announcing someone was new in the building. Everyone turned and smiled at us, some of them even going as far as welcoming us. Sherman smiled and returned the greeting and Laura waved shyly. Sherman chose a booth and sat on one side, letting me and Laura climb on the other side. The waitress came over, giving a small smile to Laura and I, placing a booster seat that was apparently for me. I jumped on it and was level with the table. Laura smiling wide as she pet me gently. I noticed the smile of the waitress became bigger as she eyed Laura's dad, but Laura was too busy petting me to notice and Sherman was too busy beaming at his daughter to even turn towards the waitress. She cleared her throat, making him turn towards her and smile sheepishly.

"What can I get you guys today? The special is out beef burger that comes with a side of fries and a milkshake of your flavor choice." Laura's head whipped towards the waitress at the sound of 'milkshake'. Sherman laughed and shook his head and scanned through the menu quickly.

"I'll get one of your burger specials, with a double chocolate milkshake, I'll also take some biscuits and gravy with a coffee." She nodded and scribbled on her notepad for a few seconds before looking back at Sherman. He had picked up a smaller menu and was looking through it. "For Cupcake, we'll get a small bowl of your kitten safe milk, as well as the cat seafood mix." She nodded again and wrote on her notepad again.

"Alright your order should be out in a few minutes. I'll bring the drinks over immediately." With one last flirty smile, the waitress left to get us our drinks. I looked around, swaying my tail gently as Laura placed her elbows on the table, resting her face in her hands as she watched me curiously. My ears twitched as a small bell in the counter rang, making my head look over by instinct. The waitress gracefully picked up the plates, dropping them off, then grabbed our drinks that she already had on the bartop, carrying them over to us. She first placed the coffee in front of Sherman, giving him another bashful smile. Then she turned to Laura and placed it infront of her, which immediately took her attention off me as she glared at the milkshake that was just about as big as her small face, topped off with whip cream, sprinkles, and 3 cherries on top. I was only vaguely aware of the small bowl with some watery looking milk that was placed in front of me. I was more preoccupied with watching Laura. She pushed herself up slightly with the table, barely even managing to get her lips around the wide straw. She took a tentative sip and grinned widely at the taste. I leaned over and lapped at the watery milk, which had an oddly satisfying taste. It was less like regular milk and more like almond milk. I kept lapping, a part of me felt like I couldn't get it in fast tail swaying become frantic as I licked my whiskers and looked up. Laura looked fascinated, her milkshake all but forgotten. Sherman was minding his own business, stealing some glances at the waitress that was now scrubbing the bar with a rag as close to us as possible without making it obvious to anyone that didn't see their interactions. The light blush on her cheeks was giving her away though. Laura looked at my bowl curiously, and I knew what she was thinking. Sherman turned to his daughter, a small smile on his lips.

"You like the milkshake sweetheart?" The bell dinged again and I looked up to see the food was heading our way. The waitress wrote something on a small piece of paper before walking over, clearly slipping the note to him, setting the food in front of us.

"Anything else you need?" She asked shyly. Sherman was about to say no but Laura perked up.

"Do you think I can maybe try the kitten milk? Cupcake made it look good." Sherman let out a chuckle before turning to face the waitress.

"Sorry, she's very curious. She's always had a knack for finding trouble." The waitress smiled at his laughter.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get her some in a sample cup." She then turned to face Laura. "But you might not like it." Laura shrugged, smiling and waiting patiently while the waitress left and came back with a small cup that they usually use for free samples. I tilted my head as she took a small sip, meowing when I saw her make a disgusted face.

"IT TASTED LIKE SPOILED MILK!" She coughed out as she put the sample cup down. Her dad reached down a grabbed the small cup, pouring the rest of its contents into my bowl. I purred and started to dig into the small plate of seafood that was in front of me. I purred even louder at the amazing taste of the seafood. Sherman began to dig into his biscuits and gravy while Laura washed down the taste of the milk with her milkshake. After a few seconds she picked up one of her fries, stuffing it in her mouth, the large fry making her cheeks bulge out as she chewed. She looked out the window and smiled, chowing away. The rest of the meal was spent in a comfortable silence, everyone eating their meals happily. Once the plates were cleared, which caused me to give a surprised mewl when I saw how much food Laura could pack into her small stomach, and Sherman had paid, we headed out, climbing once again into the jeep and headed off in our ride home. The dark night was peaceful. No one was driving so there was no extra light in the dark road. The sky was clear, allowing us to see the beautiful sky with a new moon. it was a deep purple with blue highlights, the stars shining brilliantly. Laura looked up at the sky and I saw their reflection in her eyes. Her honey colored orbs shone as if the sun was still out.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Her father commented as he saw her looking up at the sky. She nodded, trying to make the humming of the jeep be the only noise that disturbed the night. Her dad just smiled and kept quiet after that. I sat in her lap, watching the constellations pass on her eyes, cradled by the warmth she was radiating without even trying to. All I could think to myself was that it was temporary. And I had to remember that before I became too attached.


	4. Dad's Girlfriend

6-15-2003

~Carmilla's P.O.V.~

Another year(ish) has come and gone, and Laura seemed slightly upset as of a few weeks ago. Since I really couldn't be there during most outings or at school, I was trying to figure out what had the little ball ray of sunshine so upset. At first I thought it had something to do with school but when her dad kept trying to talk to her after school but she would just ignore him completely, I knew that it had to be something else completely. I watched her pace her room constantly these past few days as well, her energy making me be on edge as if some impending doom was about to come our way. I hated seeing her like this, it was stressing me out completely. But today was different, today she was putting on a nice blue summer dress, her hair in two small pigtails on the side of her head. I had heard something earlier about a picnic while I was dozing off next to Laura while she kept ignoring her dad, so I guess that's why she was getting dressed up. I just lay there, my eyes following her, my tail moving lazily. It wasn't until I felt an anti-flea collar being slipped on me, which smelled horrible, that I realized I was required to go along on this field day. When I saw her grab her harness from the dresser on her bed, I stood, not even fighting it because one little pout on those lips whenever I resisted was enough to make me hate myself.

Once she clipped it on me, I jumped off the bed and walked towards the door, with her following after me. Sherman was coming out from the spare room upstairs, that was to the left as you exited outside of Laura's room, which seemed like a closet of some sort since he came out with a worn looking blanket that was blue and black, and basket. He lumbered towards the kitchen where several snacks were already laying on the counter. We followed him into the kitchen as Laura climbed onto a small ladder that was there for her in case she ever wanted to get water or a snack. She began to organize things in the order her dad should put them in, Sherman leaning over and placing an adoring kiss into the side of his daughter's head. Laura's smile appeared on her face full force. Sherman busied himself slowly loading the basket, the juices and tupperware of food on the bottom, the sandwiches in the middle, and the bags of chips at the very top. He wrapped the blanket over the top of the basket and smiled at the work they had done before lifting it off the counter and hauling it towards the door.

Laura jumped off the small ladder, earning a stern look from her dad. She just smiled sheepishly before grabbing my lead again and making our way towards the door. We headed outside, Sherman locking the door behind us with a soft click. The sun was hot but bareable, but just because it was bearable didn't mean I liked it. I gave a sigh of relief when we climbed into the Jeep and the A/C started up. Laura held onto my front paw with one of her hands, a habit she had grown into since her dad told her to hold onto me when she was nervous in one of their drives where the rain and mud made for a bad drive home from visiting her grandparents upstate. Though I wasn't sure why she was so nervous today, but all I did was be there for her when she needed me.

In about 20 minutes we reached the park. It was a huge open field with several sections of different playing equipment. In the middle there was one huge mesquite tree that gave an amazing amount of shade. Sherman parked and climbed out, holding the basket was him, before walking around the back of the Jeep to help Laura climb out as I jumped out right after her. With that, Laura began to sprint forward, dragging me after her. Within a few seconds I was wheezing already. I need to work on my cardio if this girl is going to be like this for the rest of her life. Once we reached the shade under the tree, she stopped running and laid in the soft grass giggling. I was breathing hard through my nose as I let myself fall on my side. Not only was the tree far from the parking lot, especially for a kitten, but it also had a soft incline that you didn't even notice unless you were actually trying to walk up it. Laura sat up and stroked my side absentmindedly, watching her dad making the long walk towards us. It only took him a few strides. I instantly missed my long human legs.

When he was next to us, he unwrapped the blanket from the basket, spreading it out, catching us under it. The light filtered through the blanket, causing Laura to be momentarily covered by blue and black, making her giggle as it landed gently on her head. I was slightly thrown off as the blanket covered me but relaxed when Laura pulled the blanket off both of us, looking at her dad, giving him a big smile.

"Dad!" She cried out, her hair ruffled from where the blanket had landed and then was pulled off. I stood, making my way over and laying against her leg, still feeling a small tightness in my chest. These cat instincts were really getting to me. Laura just looked at me and smiled, picked me up, causing me to panic slightly but Laura kept her hold firm and gentle. "See? You scared Cupcake!" She held me up towards her dad for a second before crossing her legs and letting me settle between them. I instantly felt better as her scent and warmth surrounded me completely in a small cocoon of my own. She placed her hands on her knees.

"I'm sorry Cupcake." Sherman apologized seriously, looking directly at me. I looked back at him lazily and started a deep rumbling purr. Laura's facial features shifted to a slight surprise but shifted back to her happy state, reaching her hand over to stroke my head between my ears.

"Seems like you're forgiven." Laura looked back at her dad, still stroking me as I pressed my nose into her leg, almost like a pet kiss. Her dad smiled at us both and began setting out the food, neatly organizing it, Laura watching his every move. Once she was satisfied with how everything was, she turned her attention back to the scenery, looking at people as they enjoyed their time with their families. But I noticed that instead of their usual chatter, there was still some sort of tension between them, but I tried not to look too much into it. The birds chirped up in the tree, causing my ear to twitch as I cracked my eye open to look at them, seeing a robin looking down at us from their nest. It's head tilted as it eyed the food. I gave a meow, the bird finally looking in my direction before going back to the safety of its nest.

"Are you ready to meet them?" Her father spoke, barely above a whisper. Meet them? Who's them? I lifted my head off Laura's lap. Laura played with a blade of grass, looking down. She spoke softly.

"I guess." She shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the topic of the conversation. "It's not like I have a choice." She whispered. Sherman just sighed.

"They're nice people. Her daughter is your age too. She might be your first friend."

"My first friend is Cupcake."

"I meant first school friend. She goes to your school." Her dad said in a hopeful tone. Laura just nodded. I was extremely confused as to what was going on. Sherman's phone rang as he pulled it out of his pocket, picking up. "Hey honey, we're here at the park under the tree. Five minutes? Okay we'll be waiting." He shut his phone and looked over at Laura. "She said they'll be here in five minutes." He smiled at his daughter. Laura just looked up, giving a fake smile and nodded, then shifted her gaze to the ground again. You could cut the tension between them with a knife. The minutes in silence seemed to pass slowly.

Sherman's face suddenly lit up, much like Laura's face did, waving at the waitress from the diner where we had gone for several nights along the year since we first drove up to the diner. A small girl with ashen blond hair walking next to her, her face neutral, as she looked over at Laura. I looked up to see Laura's expression, to see something had dawned at her.

~Laura's P.O.V.~

I saw Ell coming towards me and I froze. I didn't know that that was her daughter. She was one of the kids that had pushed me in school the day I ended up in the hospital. I had steered clear of her since then, and yes it had been years but I still felt the same panic that came over my chest the last time I saw her standing over me while I was bleeding. The flashback came without a warning as I sat there, my mind shutting down.

~Flashback~

(Trigger Warning: Bullying and minor child abuse)

"Leave me alone please." I begged as I felt the group of 5 girls heard around me, trying to pin me against the corner in the restroom. I felt the tightness in my chest, making me hyperventilate as they managed to stop my movements. I looked up to notice 2 blondes, 2 brunettes and one ashen blonde haired girl. The ashen haired girl stood in the middle of the other 4.

"Now why should we do that?" She spoke, grinning down at me. I gulped, trying to act the least scared I could. I puffed up my chest in defense, as if it would make a difference but the fight was still five against one. The brunette to her right reached over to pull on my hair, yanking hard. I winced in pain but tried my best to make sure they didn't see how much it had actually hurt me. "You're just worthless you know that? Nobody likes you. Even your mom left you. And your dad is only with you because he's stuck with you. And none of the boys likes you because you dress like a boy too."

"Good one Ell." One of the blonds remarked but I was too busy concentrating on the pain on my skull to notice which one. That was when I felt a tug on my left arm, that made me fall to my knees. I felt the burn in the back of my eyes but I wasn't going to let myself cry in front of them. They would get too much enjoyment out of that. As I was on my knees, the one named Ell pushed me backwards, making my back hit the corner of the wall. The two blonds reached over to me, yanking on my hair sa the brunnettes threw punches at my body wherever they could land them. Ell was slower, making her moves calculated as she reached over with one of her sharp nails moving over to my cheek, scraping it down my cheek. It felt like it cut me and the trickle of blood that went down it was my confirmation that it did. It was then that the tears started falling down my eyes, causing an immediate headache. Ell waved back the blonde's before gripping my hair.

"You're nothing." She slammed my head hard into the wall, the smallest smile on her lips. The edges of my vision started to become darker and darker. I felt a kick into my side, making me fall over, clutching it. I felt another swift kick to my right leg as I fell laying onto my side, panting even harder. It was then when the door swung open, making relief flood through me. Until I noticed who it was.

"Ell, Brittney, Courtney, Aubry, Denise, get back to class before you get in trouble." Our english teacher spoke. "I'll deal with Ms. Hollis here." The four girls nodded and scurried off quickly, Mrs. Solis making her way over to me. She lifted me by my arm, as I screamed out in pain. "Oh don't be so dramatic Ms. Hollis. I'm sure you provoked this one way or another." She forced me to stand, yanking my arm off my body as I tried to hold my side. "Stand up straight girl. Let's head to the nurse's office." When I started to walk, I had a slight limp due to the kick on my leg. "Walk straight!" She snapped at me, causing me to flinch. But I kept my head down, trying my best to walk as straight as I possibly could. After holding in pained whimpers, we finally made it to the nurse's office. The nurse gave me a once over, then gave a glare to Mrs. Solis before walking over to me.

"I've got her, Mrs. Solis." With that the teacher left, my shoulders slumping as I finally relaxed. Then I felt the floor hit my face and heard faintly as the nurse screamed out to the assistant nurse. "Call 911 Anna!"

~End Flashback~

I felt something warm rubbing itself against my stomach. An automatic smile spread itself on my lips. I snapped out of my trance just in time to see my dad kissing his... girlfriend and see Ell looking blankly at me. I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine at that cold stare. But a soft mewl made me look down at my lap where Cupcake was purring and rubbing against me. I smiled. I was okay now. Everything was okay now.

~Carmilla's P.O.V.~

The look on Laura's face really scared me. It was a mix between scared and emotionless. I shifted in her lap, trying to get her attention but nothing. I tried pawing at the loose string at the bottom of her shirt and still nothing. I noticed Ell looking at us, a small smile trying to make her way on her lips. But it wasn't a happy smile, not at all, it was a menacing smile. So I stood in Laura's lap and began to rub myself against her abdomen. This caused her to jump slightly but a small smile made itself present on her lips. She turned her attention to Sherman as he greeted his girlfriend, apparently, and then turned to Ell, freezing for a few seconds before shivering. Before she could go off into her world again, I mewled, bringing her bright smile back and aimed in my direction. The world started turning again, at least in my prospective.

"Laura, you remember Christina. And this is her daughter Ell." Laura's attention snapped up to her dad but the most she did was nod. After a few seconds, Sherman cleared his throat. "Anyway, you ladies hungry?" Ell said nothing, keeping her eyes on Laura, Laura looking anywhere but at her. Christina glanced between the two girls but just clapped her hands, looking over at Sherman.

"I am!" She exclaimed, Sherman's attention moving to his girlfriend as he started handing her food. I kept my position on Laura's lap, almost like a claim. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew Laura was uncomfortable and that was enough for me. Ell sat across from Laura as Christina sat across from Sherman. "Why don't you girls go play and get to know each other?" Ell stood and nodded. Sherman glancing over at Laura, who stood, clutching me to her chest.

"You can leave Cupcake here honey. So you can play freely." Laura's eyes widened in panic. Sherman reached over and pulled me off her chest as I mewled in protest and tried to cling to Laura by her shirt. Sherman gave a smile, clearly oblivious to it. Laura struggled to let her dad take me from her but ended up allowing it, as Ell grabbed her now free arm and pulled her forward, harder than necessary, might I add, and guided her towards the monkey bars. Sherman set me down on the blanket and put the loop of my lead on a water bottle so I wouldn't run off. I remained standing, looking towards Laura and Ell who were seemingly playing innocently. "She'll come back in a little bit Cupcake." Her dad tried to reassure me before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

The minute that happened, you could see the demeanor on Ell's face changed drastically. She shoved Laura into the small stairs that led up to the monkey bars, giving Laura no choice but to climb up, before firmly gripping the monkey bars. She clinged on with all her might. Once she was halfway across Ell moved around the monkey bars, picking up some rocks from the gravel down below. She looked over once more to see Sherman and Christina completely engrossed in each other, then smirked before she started throwing the rocks at Laura, clearly aiming for her face. I was starting to get frustrated at the scene and tried to get Sherman's attention but noticed he was deep in conversation with Christina. He would just pat my head and resume talking to her. I looked over at the jungle gym, watching closely before everything slowed down. I saw Laura's last amount of grip slip as she fell, Ell with a satisfied smirk on her face. Laura landed back first, hitting her head in the gravel next, before her legs gave a hard thump.

Before my mind could catch up, I was sprinting. Sprinting towards Laura as I saw Ell's expression shift to worried, clearly a show for the two adults. When Sherman heard the scraping of the water bottle against the grass, he looked up to see Laura sitting on the gravel as she cried. He stood immediately, leaving Christina hanging as she was about to feed him a grape. He rushed over to the jungle gym, getting there while I was only half way. I was breathing hard but wasn't going to let that stop me. By the time I reached them, a crying Laura was scooped up in Sherman's arms.

"What happened sweetheart?" He asked her, rocking her gently. I pawed at his pants, as he leaned down to try and lift me. That was when Christina came up next to him putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe it's not a good idea." Waiting for Sherman to nod and stand up straight then she turned to look at her daughter. "What happened Ell?" Laura's wailing got louder in the process as I pawed desperately at his jeans again. Sherman sent me a look that said he was sorry for not letting me up.

"She was on the monkey bars and she slipped and fell." Ell said in her neutral voice. Laura then began looking around desperately. And Sherman knew exactly what she was looking for. He bend down once more to pick me up before Christina spoke up once again.

"The cat might just make her feel overwhelmed." As if she'd know anything. I jumped, trying to get his attention again.

"CUPCAKE!" Laura wailed, struggling in her dad's arms.

"After all I've told you, I thought you would've known that Cupcake is the only thing that calms her." Sherman replied, slightly mad though he seemed more mad at himself. "I should've been watching more closely, but it'll never happen again." He finally lifted me, placing me on Laura before removing the water bottle from my lead. Laura's cries were quickly pacified as she felt my fur against her. She clutched me to her chest. I began to purr as she held me. "Let's go home sweetie." I heard Sherman whisper into her hair as he kissed the side of her head. He looked over to Christina. "I think we're going to head home now. I'll call you. Maybe we can reschedule this." Christina frowned slightly but nodded.

Sherman carried us to the Jeep, setting us in the passenger seat. He kissed Laura's forehead, giving me a slight pat on the head. He mumbled something about getting the picnic basket but I wasn't really paying attention to anything but the crying girl that I was comforting. Laura sat there sniffling, while I saw Sherman picking up everything, Christina walking up to him and telling him something that clearly didn't sit right with him. Then the heated argument began, Sherman gesturing wildly with his hands, clearly fuming. After about 5 minutes, he got in the Jeep, tossing the basket in the back before turning it on, huffing loudly as he pulled out of the parking lot and started making his way home bound.

"I can't believe she was trying to tell me how to raise my daughter." He spoke mostly to himself. "'Stop babying her' she said. Well what about her child? You don't see me telling her to be more loving with her daughter, maybe like that she'd show some emotion." His knuckles turned white as gripped the steering wheel. We pulled up to a red light and he used that time to plug in his phone into the AUX cord, clicking randomly on the screen. When the beat started, his hands relaxed immediately. Laura rubbed her eyes, a tiny smile peeking at her lips. That was when Sherman began to belt out the lyrics.

"As you go through life you'll see,

There is so much that we,

Don't understand."

He nudged Laura, causing her smile to come on full force this time as she giggled.

"And the only thing we know,

Is things don't always go,

The way we planned.

But you'll see everyday,

That I'll never turn away,

When it seems all your dreams come undone.

I will stand by your side,

Filled with hope and filled with pride,

We are more than we are,

We are one!"

The small instrumental in the middle rang out as Sherman nudged her again, encouraging her to get ready for her part. Laura sat up straight, keeping her grip on me, clearing her throat, a bit before singing shyly.

"If there's so much I must be,

Can I still just be me,

The way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart,

Or am I just one part,

Of some big plan?"

Sherman's smile was blinding as he looked over at his daughter. Then continued to sing the next part.

"Even those who are gone,

Are with us as we go on.

Your journey has only begun.

Tears of pain, tears of joy,

One thing nothing can destroy,

Is our pride, deep inside

We are one!

We are one, you and I,

We are like the earth and sky,

One family under the sun.

All the wisdom to lead,

All the courage that you need,

You will find when you see,

We are one!"

The song came to a close as they both fell into a fit of giggles, Laura's cheeks becoming red from all the laughing and crying. I looked between the two dorks, wishing for more days like this, but I still had the thought in the back of my head, telling me that this was only temporary.


	5. Birthday Girl

5-11-2004

~Carmilla's P.O.V.~

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Sherman barreled into the room, a cake in his hands.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LAURA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" He practically yelled, making Laura's eyes snap open as well but she just smiled wide. There was 11 multi colored candles on the pink colored cake. She sat up on her bed, kicking her legs excitedly. Her hair tousled, the sunlight shining through her hair, making it look almost like a lion mane. I stretched belly up on my spot on the yellow pillow on Laura's bed, giving a soft mewl as Lara automatically ran her hand on my tummy. Her smile was huge as Sherman sat on the bed, still holding the cake, making us on the other end, bounce slightly.

"Make a wish." Sherman held out the cake, carefully setting it in front of Laura on her lap. Her hand stilled on my stomach as she closed her eyes, staying quiet, and surprisingly still, for about a minute before those honey orbs opened wide, her tiny lungs blowing out a large breath, blowing out the candles on the cake. The lettering read, 'Happy Birthday Ladybug'. Sherman lifted the cake off his daughter's lap. The minute it was off her lap and safely sitting on her bedside table, she immediately launched herself into her father's arms. The soft purr in my chest began as I watched the scene before me.

Laura had her arms tightly around Sherman's neck, giving a squeeze. Sherman let out a breath as she did but did nothing to stop the squeeze as he wrapped her arms even tighter around the girl. His face held joy, but there was also a tone of sadness. Sadness that I knew after all these years that stemmed from the fact that Laura's mother was nowhere to be seen or even heard about, even at the fact that its her daughter's birthday. He shook that look away quickly though as he felt Laura shift in his arms. He looked at her like if she was his whole world, and for that second I looked at them like they were mine.

My father was like this with me as well. To the point that my mother was jealous and ended up murdering him. I felt some tears sting in my eyes, zoning out, the scene in front of me becoming nothing but a blur. It wasn't until I felt a soft pair of hands pluck me up from the pillow that my attention snapped back to the present. Before I knew it, I was in a Hollis sandwich. The purring in my chest couldn't be stopped as the Hollis warmth surrounded me. Sherman patted Laura's back softly, pulling away from the hug to give us all space to breathe. We all fell apart from each other as Sherman gave one last squeeze around her shoulders. Laura gave a small glance at the picture on her table next to the cake.

I knew well it was a picture of her and her mother, Laura just a newborn in the picture. Sherman glanced down at his lap for the second that Laura looked over at it. The smile dropped from Laura's face momentarily, and it broke my heart. I didn't know what type of person you had to be to hurt a ray of sunshine, but I knew I didn't want to be that person. So I licked her hand, making her look at me, the smile blooming on her face, making me instantly proud of myself. Sherman looked at us when he saw Laura's head movement. He smiled again, getting off the bed and clapping his hands together, before picking up the cake.

"So who wants to go the the kitchen to get some cake?" Laura smiled and jumped up. Her toothy grin was wide, as she ran ahead of Sherman, her arms flailing up in the air. Sherman laughed as he walked after her, then looked back at me. "C'mon Cupcake before she chokes on some of the food that I laid out." I jumped off the bed, threading between his legs carefully as he walked. He lifted the cake over his head and looked down at me, grinning before reaching the stairs.

I jumped down them, taking a few steps at a time, my body being much longer than when I was a kitten. I could hear the scraping of plates coming from the kitchen. When I walked in, Laura was standing by the counter, on her tiptoes. It had been a while since she needed the small ladder to be able to reach the counter, showing that she was growing as the time passed. Her hair was past her shoulders now, her flannel pajamas fit her just a little short on her ankles, her frame remaining small but only slightly taller. Her eyes had also gotten slightly wider as her face thinned out. The changes were small and subtle but whenever you woke up next to someone everyday, you noticed a few things changing. Just like how her scent had become less of an innocent garden rose and began smelling of the whole garden instead.

I shook my head slightly and saw her tower of pancakes on her plate. That habit hadn't changed apparently. Neither had the fact that she snuck a few more chocolate chips onto her plate and her dad looked the other way. Sherman set the cake in the middle of the dinning table, then moved back to the counter to get himself some of the pancakes he had made. But he made a quick pitstop to drop off my pancakes in my food bowl. I sat down, leaning forward to eat.

I watched them eat by my position by the refrigerator, swaying my tail. Laura would look over every once in a while to check on me before smiling and turning back, stuffing another piece of pancake down her throat that always seemed to big for her but she would somehow manage to push it down. Once she was done with the pancakes, she waited patiently, yet somehow impatiently at the same time, for Sherman to finish the few pancakes he had served himself along with the side of bacon.

He would peek up every few seconds and slow down even more in his eating, clearly trying to annoy Laura but she was too busy eyeing the cake to notice that that was his plan by eating slow. After about 10 minutes of eating as slow as he could manage without going turtle speed, he swallowed the last bit of bacon he had been chewing for longer than necessary.

Laura may as well have been a rocket that was ready to take off. She was shaking in her seat, her hands clenched into small fists as she looked at the cake with eyes bigger than should've been possible. Her bed head hair kept quivering as her shaking intensified when Sherman reached over with the knife to cut the cake. He cut into it to reveal it was a strawberry flavored cake, Laura finally exploding as she bounced slightly in her seat at the sheer force she used to throw her arms up, her hands open.

Sherman chuckled and placed the slice in front of her, while she immediately dug in. He cut a slice for himself, placing it on his plate before putting some treats in my bowl as a consolation prize for not giving me cake. I took my time, chewing them slowly as I watched Laura. Sherman gave a throaty laugh.

"Remind me next year to not put 'Ladybug'. Next year I'm going to put 'Piggy." At that Laura's eyes snapped up at him, her cheeks puffed out from the cake she had shoved in, her cheeks and nose covered in frosting. The sudden motion making her throat make a noise that sounded suspiciously like an 'oink'. Sherman couldn't keep in the snort this time, causing me to laugh to myself. I drank some of my water before prancing over and jumping into Laura's lap. I closed my eyes as she continued to eat.

After Laura finally convinced Sherman to shove his food down, she looked at him expectantly as he made his way to the living room to retrieve the presents. Laura was by no means a material girl but she enjoyed having new things to play with. Besides it's not like Sherman minded much since Laura never really asked for anything. He held four boxes in his hands. Laura swung her legs, causing me to teeter slightly but I just curled closer to her abdomen. All four boxes were wrapped in the same silver wrapping paper, with checkered pink and yellow bows. Sherman handed a box over to Laura. It was quite large, but seemed light considering that Laura could lift it.

"You know my taste isn't the best but I still tried." She pulled out a purple shirt that had a cartoon skull on she pulled out a pair of black jeans and some dark purple slip on vans. She clutched it to her chest approvingly before setting it aside. She was handed her the next box carefully. "This next one is a lot more delicate honey. I noticed you liked taking pictures a lot, and it's not that I don't like you using my phone for that, besides, if you get good someday, I want it to be with equipment that's good." So that's where Laura's rambling came from. I turned my attention back to Laura, seeing her jaw had dropped open.

She pulled out a brand new camera, still in its packaging. Her hands shook nervously until she was able to put it on the table, with the help of Sherman that moved the box. She tore open the plastic wrap around the box itself then opened the box, pulling out a camera, holding it gingerly in her hands. The small black Sony camera, the part where the lens was was a nice silver color. She turned it on and it gave a small ding. She pointed the camera at her dad and clicked the picture, Sherman caught off guard, taking a sip of his coffee. He looked over and smiled, Laura snapping another while smiling and putting it down.

"This one is for all the pictures you're going to take with that camera." He handed her a squared, flat box. She opened it to reveal a black leather bound picture album with her initials stitched into the bottom right corner. She flipped through it, seeing all the empty spots for pictures and smiling happily. She set it next to the camera and grinned as she was handed the last box. When she opened it, she pulled out a variety of child friendly video games. Once she revealed all of them, she picked me up off her lap, carrying me with her as she went over to Sherman, giving him another long hug, giving me another taste of the Hollis sandwich in the process.

"Why don't we go to the backyard. You might find some bugs or something to take pictures of." Sherman suggested once they let go. When Laura agreed, he opened the sliding door, walking outside into the morning's sun. So began Laura's trek across the backyard, photographing anything she deemed worthy. I sat myself in a patch of sun that was just the perfect temperature and closed my eyes. It was moment's like these that I realized how much being a cat was just like being myself. Eating and sleeping all day everyday whenever I felt like it.

My ears twitched as the clicking of the camera was suddenly closer than expected. I opened my eyes lazily and saw that the camera was pointed in my direction. My ears twitched at every click of the camera but I just sat there, swaying my tail patiently for a few pictures before getting up and walking away, hiding under one of the outdoor sofas. Laura's attention shifted again as her dad was fixing some things around in a small shed I hadn't noticed was there before.

I looked over at the two just in time to see Sherman snatch the camera from Laura's hands, turning it in her direction as he started snapping pictures, Laura squealing as she tried to run away. I smiled to myself at the two dorks, wishing nothing but the best for the two when I inevitably had to leave the two. After all, this was only temporary.


End file.
